Pile fabric frayproofing



Aug.. L 1950 J. N. Dow ETAL, 2,517,389

PILE FABRIC FRAY-PROOFING Filed oct. s, 194e INVENTUM JAMES N. B09/ scribed. may be applied in any suitable manner,4

forl example as a hot melt or as a nlm. We prefer the latter and, for ease in applying, we calender the materials, preferably during their compounding into a film l onto a carrier 2, such as Holland cloth or cellophane, having a surface which is substantially non-absorbent to the adhesive and readily yields the adhesive when cooled to room temperature. By using such a carrier we avoid soiling'of the heating agent, which is preferably an iron.' The iron, which we prefer to employ,

may be a small hand iron desirably weighing about 2 pounds per square inch of shoe area. When the thickness of the backing fabric is about 1/1o of an inch we have found. that the thickness of the film should be approximately 3/wo of an inch to reach and embed the pile loops without impregnating the rest of the pile.

The film on the carrier is applied to the back of the fabric, as in Fig. ,2, and then heated in any suitable manner. For example, the fabric may be laid'pile down on a suitable support, and an iron 3, Fig. 3, at a temperature of about 200 C. applied to the back of the carrier 2. The heat softens the adhesive so that it becomes suillciently thin and fluid to penetrate, as shown in Fig. 3, into the densely woven backing to the pileA loops 4, Fig. 4, but no further. During the aprlication there is constant evaporation of the llqueer or solvent which may escape downv'ardly through the pile.

facilitate the downward impregnating movement of the adhesive.

Upon removal of the heat source the adhesive is allowed to cool for a short time, after which, the carrier 2 may be removed. The fabric may thereafter be cut and handled without danger of fraying or raveling.

As a binding agent, we may employ, in place of the polyvinyl acetate, other types of thermos,

plastic vinyl resins, such as polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl acetals, such as polyvinyl butyral, and the acrylic resins, like methyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate. We also may employ mixtures or copolymers of these several resins with each other or with other materials. such, for example, as vinyl acetate -vinyl chloride copolymers.

The adhesive compositions may include, as a substitute for the dibutyl phthalate, other plasticizers such as tricresyl phosphate, butyl ricinoleate, dibutoxy ethyl phthalate, etc.

As a primary liquefler, or solvent, We may use in place of the diacetone alcohol other materials which are good solvents for the ingredients of the adhesive, especially for the thermoplastic resin and which have a low vapor pressure at room temperatures and are readily evaporatable at elevated temperatures below the softening point of the adhesive. The boiling range of the liqueiler should be such that there will not be a great spread between the initial boiling point and the end point.

We have found that best results are obtained with solvents having a vapor pressure between 0.5 and 8.0 mm. Hg at 30 C. and an initial boiling point above about 135 C. and an end point below about 200 C. The following are solvents of commercial grade which may be used as the liqueer.

Such escape performsj the useful function of wetting out the backing to` Boiling Range Vapor M sure man. Initial End Poms Hg "t 3 C* n0'. C. Cellosolve Acetate 145 166 3 Dlisobutyl Ketone 164 169 4 isopropyl Lactate. 149 167 5 Diacetone Alcohol 153 160 2 Methyln-hexyl Ketone 169 173 3 Butyl Cellosolve 163 172 0. 9 Butyl Cellosolve Acetate. 188 192 less than l Individual pieces of fabric which have been frayproofed by the methods described herein may be seamed together at their edges by applying over the seams,`on the back of the fabric, a tape carrying an appropriate adhesive. The adhesive with which the pile fabric is frayproofed, in accordance with the foregoing treatments, is particularly well adapted to bond with certain tape adhesives which are described in our copending application,- Serial No. 387,694, but as these tape adhesives are not claimed herein they need not be described.

This application is 'La continuation-in-part of our prior application, Serial No. 140,696, now abandoned, and of our copending application, Serial No. 387,694, now Patent No. 2,408,756, issued October 8, 1946.

We claim:

. 1. The method of frayprooflng a pile fabric having pile tuft loops concealed in a densely woven backing fabric which includes applying to the back of the fabric a film of an adhesive supported on a carrier, said adhesive including a thermoplastic binding agent and a liquefier, said liqueer having a vapor pressure between 0.5 and 8.0 mm. Hg at 30 C., liquefying the adhesive by applying heat to the back of said carrier to cause the adhesive to penetrate into the densely woven backing of the fabric so far as to moisten the loops of the pile, and then removing the carrier.

2. The method offrayproong a pile fabric having pile tuft loops concealed in a densely woven backing fabric, which consists in laying the fabric pile down on a supporting surface, applying to the exposed back of the woven backing fabric a film supported on a carrier, said film comprising a thermoplastic adhesive in solidified condition, having a softening point between C. and 140 C. and containing a solvent to increase the fluidity of the film when heated, said solvent having a low vapor pressure at room temperature and being readily evaporatableat elevated temperatures below the softening point of said adhesive, heating the adhesive under pressure by heat applied to the back of said carrier to render the adhesive sufficiently fluid to penetrate into the densely woven backing of the fabric to and around said pile loops and to cause a portion at least of said solvent to evaporate, solidify-ing the adhesive by allowing it to cool to bind the pile loops against fraying when cut and then removing the carrier.

3. The method of frayprooiing a pile fabric having pile tuft loops concealed in a densely woven backing of said fabric, which consists in laying the fabric pile down on a supporting surface, applying to the exposed back of the woven backing of said fabric a film supported on a carrier, said film comprising a thermoplastic adhesive in solidified condition, heating the adhesive by heat applied to the back of said carrier to render the adhesive sufficiently fluid to penetrate into the densely woven backing of the fab- 5 ric to and around said pile loops, solidifying the adhesive by allowing it to cool to bind the pile loops against fraying when out and then reinoving the carrier. f

, JAMES N. DOW.

Y ARA T. DILDILIAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in `the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number 15 4,959

Number Name Date 1,012,389 Marche Dec. 19,;'1911 1,661,778` Valentine Mar. 6, l1928 1,753,806 Ross Apr. 8, 1930 Name Date Levin Aug. 26, 1930 Curtis Dec. 23, 1930 Robertson et al. J'uly 21, 1931 Slayter Nov. 8, 1932 Kallander etal Jan. 14, 1936 Bowes Sept. 29, 1936 Pullman Feb. 9, 1937 Robertson Jan. 2, 1940 Dickey Apr. 16, 1940 Doolittle May 25, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain 1910 

